


너는 마치 꿈속에 Treasure (You're like a treasure in a dream)

by nahago_nolja



Series: Hidden Seoul [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band), Golden Child (Korea Band), ONEUS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood Drinking, Dark Magic, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fairies, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I write the F word a lot, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mages, Magic, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, Vampire Bites, Vampires, no beta we die like men, some of the characters are only mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26410303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nahago_nolja/pseuds/nahago_nolja
Summary: "I'm yourGod" the guy said, smirking widely at Leedo's crying face. "And I'm here to punish all thosefilthy, unworthybeastslike you.""You are nothing but an idiot high on power" Leedo couldn't help but spat back. If he was going to die, he wanted the bastard to know what he really thought of him.WARNING!: at the beginning of the story Leedo gets attacked and is heavily hurt & his attacker enjoys watching him suffer. Other people will also get hurt in the story (even if it won't be mentioned too much in details). The story focuses more on the relationship between Keonhee and Leedo.********************************************************AUTOHER'S NOTE:hi!! this fic is not dead, I will update soon, promise!!!
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Lee Keonhee
Series: Hidden Seoul [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919611
Comments: 20
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER + IMPORTANT NOTES**
> 
> \+ I don't own ONEUS or any of the members. I only own the plot and the writing that made this story up.
> 
> \+ Part of my planned " _Hidden Seoul series_ ": most of the stories are  connected (unless stated otherwise). I still don't know if I'm gonna post the complete stories one after the other or I'll post them all at the same time. It's up to my muse.
> 
> \+ To give you an idea of what KeonDo look like in this fic: Keonhee has bright blue hair like during "가자 (LIT)" era, Leedo's look is from "TO BE OR NOT TO BE" teaser/MV.
> 
> \+ (Fellow KeonDo's enthusiasts, where u at?)
> 
> \+ I tend to use song titles or lyrics to 'name' my fics. This one is from ATEEZ's "Desire".
> 
> Specific terms I use for the "Hidden Seoul series" (more could be added later on):
> 
> \+  _**Hidden Community / Hiddens** _ = the community is made up of all the beings who are not plain, regular humans: vampires, werewolves, warlocks, faeries, demons, mages, etc... 'Hiddens' is the term used to identify people belonging to the community
> 
> \+ _**No-Hids**_ = shorter version of 'Not Hiddens', meaning all the regular humans.
> 
> \+ _**Guardians**_ = representatives of each Hidden species
> 
>  _ **\+ The Council**_ = composed of Guardians; takes action on things affecting the whole community.
> 
> "Dialogue"
> 
> ' _Thoughts_ '
> 
> «Messages / written texts / dialogues narrated inside other dialogues»
> 
> Enjoy~❤

Something didn't feel right.

The air was strange.

Calm.

_Too calm_.

A feeling of expectation was lingering around.

Like something was about to happen tonight.

Whether good or bad, Leedo couldn't tell.

It's not like many things could be a danger to him, considering who he was. Or, rather, _what_ he was.

Still, he decided to go out for a walk. Aimlessy wondering around the city was one of his favorite things to do. He had been living in Seoul for decades, watched it change, transform; he had even been part of that process. Yet, he still managed to see and discover new things or sights. Besides, it wasn't like he could get easily tired or needed to sleep, so he could spend the whole night outside.

Leedo had already been walking around for a couple of hours, letting his feet take him wherever, when he was hit by a sudden feeling of foreboding.

He kept moving forward, but his senses were all on high alert. Something was _off_ , but he couldn't tell what it was. Not knowing was making him nervous and he didn't like the situation at all.

' _Calm down. Focus_ ' he kept thinking.

Leedo tried to stretch his senses as much as he could, while he purposefully moved to a park he knew was nearby: if things suddenly went south, he didn't want his reaction to be seen by No-Hids.

' _No particular smells_ ' he thought, analyzing the situation. ' _Same old usual sounds expected at this hour. I can't see anything wrong around. Then what is−_ '

A chill suddenly went down his spine.

He was being watched, he was sure of it.

And whoever it was, they didn't seem to have good intentions.

' _Why can't I seem to track them? Are they like me?_ ' If that was true, finding the person (' _or is it more than one?_ ') could be harder to do.

At that point, he had already crossed the whole park, even if he had slowed down his pace, and he had reached one of the other entrances of the place.

It was at that moment that Leedo was harshly thrown off his feet and slammed against the concrete.

' _What the fuck was that?_ ' he thought, immediately turning over and crouching on the ground, looking around for what or who moved him like that.

Nothing. There was nothing.

' _... This means it's one of the Hiddens who must be doing it_ ' he thought, feeling more and more nervous. ' _But who? And why?_ '

Another unexpected and powerful push made him fly towards the opposite direction, but he managed to flip mid-air and land on his feet again.

"Who is it? Show yourself" he asked out loud.

Absolutely nothing. Again.

"I don't know who you are or why you are doing this" Leedo said, still trying to pinpoint the origin of the attacks. "If I did something to make you angry, just come out and say it, maybe we can resolve it."

"You _exist_ " came the unexpect, angry, reply, seemingly from all around, before something tried to slice his back.

It was only because this time he felt the air shift that Leedo managed to avoid getting seriously hurt. He still felt the tip of something sharp rip his jacket and shirt and graze his skin.

"I exist? What do you mean?" ' _Come out, bastard. Show me your face._ '

" _Things_ like you shouldn't be allowed to exist" the voice spat, disgust dripping clearly from his tone. "You and others like you shouldn't even be alive. So why don't you _die_?"

Leedo had to be constantly on the move: blades would appear out of nowhere trying to slice him or impale him. He might heal faster than other beings, but a blade through the heart or the brain would still mean the end for him.

"Others like me? Aren't you like me if you can do this?" he asked, hoping that the more the other answered him, the easier it would be to find out where he was hiding.

" _I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!_ " the person screamed and a barrage of blades came from too many directions at once to be avoided. Leedo tried his best, but he still ended heavily injured.

' _I need to get out of here_ ' he thought. His wounds were healing, but not fast enough. If whoever was attacking him decided to repeat the assault, he didn't think he could make it.

"Then what are you, hm? You think you're better than me?" ' _Come on, get here, you little shit. So I can rip your throat off._ '

"Oh, I know I am" someone said directly from next to him. When Leedo turned around to attack, three blades suddenly sliced through his body: one in his left thigh, another pierced his stomach and the last cut open the crook of his neck.

The sudden assault was too painful and Leedo dropped on the ground, blood flowing freely from his wounds.

' _Fuck, I'm not gonna make it._ '

His face was suddenly yanked upwards and Leedo finally got a visual of his attacker. He was... plain. There was no better way to describe him. If he passed him down the street, Leedo wouldn't even notice him. He honestly looked like a regular guy, nothing was making him stand out. Nothing, except the dark markings on his hand.

' _Dark Mage. Fuck. I thought they were all gone_ ' he thought, while the other crouched down next to him, seemingly to better observe his expression of pain. ' _If I try to react now, he's gonna kill me for sure._ '

"Not so high and mighty now, hm?" the guy asked, pushing the blade inside Leedo's stomach even further in, making him wheeze in anguish.

"You asked me who I am" he continued, letting his other hand over the blade in the thigh, making it move around, widening the wound. Leedo screamed, the pain becoming unbearable.

"I'm your _God_ " the guy said, smirking widely at Leedo's crying face. "And I'm here to punish all those _filthy_ , unworthy _beasts_ like you."

"You are nothing but an idiot high on power" Leedo couldn't help but spat back. If he was going to die, he wanted the bastard to know what he really thought of him.

His answer obviously didn't please the Dark Mage, who grabbed the blades he was holding and pulled them out of Leedo's body, making the blood pour out of him even faster.

Leedo saw him move his hand towards the blade stuck in his neck and knew the other was about to end him. ' _At least I didn't go out without a fight._ '

"Look at you, trying to−" before he could finish the sentence, the guy was suddenly thrown off him.

Leedo was frozen in shock. ' _What just happened?_ ' he thought, trying to stay awake.

While the Mage tried to get up from where he had been thrown, someone unexpectedly appeared in front of Leedo. There wasn't much light in the street and his vision was slowly getting blurred, but he could see it was a man, tall, wearing what seemed to be a long, dark trench coat. But what stood out the most was the color of his hair, a very brilliant shade of blue.

"Hold tight!" the newcomer yelled, grabbing his uninjured shoulder, before a flurry of leaves surrounded them.

A couple of seconds later Leedo felt the ground under him had changed and even his surroundings were different.

"Oh my God, what the hell was going on?" blue-haired guy screamed. "Who the fuck was that? Holy shit, there's so much blood!"

Leedo would really like to do a few things, like thanking his unexpected saviour, ask him where they were and how the fuck they got there, calm him down, take a nap for a decade or two, but mostly he wanted to stop the bleeding.

"I should take you to the Clinic. I'm an idiot. Okay, I'm gonna have to move you again. Hey, are you still awake? Can you hear me?" the guy said, but as soon as he moved closer to his face, Leedo could only focus on how good the other smelled.

"Feed... Need to... Feed..." he whispered, feeling himself drooling. ' _So good. He smells so good. Fuck. Wanna taste him._ '

"What? Feed?" the other sounded confused, before taking a better look at his face. This allowed Leedo to also have a better idea of who was in front of him.

' _Cute_ ' was his first thought. ' _Pretty. Blue looks good on him._ '

"Oh, a vampire!" Cute Guy said. And then he immediately took off his coat and lowered the neckline of his sweater, before gently grabbing the back of Leedo's head to pull him closer. "Here, this will definitely help."

' _Fuck, his smell is intoxicating_ ' Leedo thought, letting his nose rub against the guy's neck. ' _Want to bite him so badly... but I don't know if I can resist from draining him._ '

However he didn't have much time to hesitate: the combination of the constant blood loss and the delicious smell in front of him, made what was left of Leedo's restraint completely disappear.

As soon as he pierced the other's neck and got the first taste of blood, Leedo couldn't help but moan. ' _Good... So good... Nothing ever tasted better than this..._ ' he thought, drinking as much as he could.

He felt Cute Guy whimper in pain at the beginning, but he still encouraged him to keep going.

Leedo didn't know if it was because he was finally feeding or because the guy's blood was exceptionally good, but his wounds were beginning to heal faster, almost at his usual standards.

It was only after a few seconds that Leedo felt the guy trying to gently push him away.

"Enough, you're gonna drain me like this" he said, pulling his own body back.

Leedo knew he should stop. He really didn't want to end up killing the person who saved him from certain death. ' _But he tastes so good... So good... And this smell... Wanna drown in his scent..._ '

"Come on, that's enough" the other said, tone still gentle but firmer.

Leedo tried to tell him he wanted to comply, but his body didn't want to cooperate.

"You leave me with no choice then" he heard the other say, before a sense of calm like he never felt before hit him full force.

And for the first time since he was turned over a century ago, Leedo fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to keep my updates on schedule, so the next chapter should be up between a week to 10 days from now.  
> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was about to reply that ' _No, he's not my boyfriend, we are friends, just friends_ ' but Keonhee was already calling him over, so he just nodded, greeted the other man and walked towards his friend.
> 
> His _friend_.
> 
> Don't get him wrong, Leedo knew Keonhee was very attractive. Coupled with his charming personality and his ability to make everybody around him feel at ease, he was definitely what people called "a catch".  
> And it's not like Leedo didn't think about it. During the past couple of weeks, everytime he was with Keonhee, the random, stray thought of ' _what if?_ ' came to his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! *throws confetti*  
> I actually had to set up a schedule because I procrastinate procrastination and I needed to come up with some sort of timeline to keep myself in check.  
> Also, I'm 90% sure that, besides this one, there are 4 more chapters left for this story. Would the number change? I have no idea and my muse is currently pretending to be deaf and mute, so...
> 
> This chapter features: Keonhee and Leedo meeting properly, a blossoming friendship and... you'll have to read to find out!
> 
> "Dialogue"  
> ' _Thoughts_ '  
> «Messages / written texts / dialogues narrated inside other dialogues»
> 
> Enjoy~❤

The sun had already been up in the sky for hours when Leedo started getting back to his senses.

He groaned softly when he felt a ray of light hit his eyes (unlike popular belief, vampires can be out and about in broad daylight without turning into a human torch) and turned around, trying to get back to sleep. And _that_ was what completely woke him up in an instant. Because vampires could mingle with humans, even ingest food like any other being, but they were unable to fall asleep. They could reach a state of deep meditation, but the sweet land of dreams was forever out of reach for them from the moment they turned.

Leedo immediately sat up and realized he had been laying down on a very soft bed, which, as comfy as it felt, it definitely wasn't his own. He looked around, confused, trying to understand where he was. Then the memory of what happened the previous night came back to him.

' _Oh right, I was attacked. And then Cute Guy saved me. And... knocked me out?_ '

It was then that he realized sounds were coming from outside the room, so he silently stood up and stared at his own body. The first thing he noticed was that all the wounds were gone and he wasn't feeling any pain: the second was − ' _These are not my clothes._ ' And then almost slapped himself in the face: of course he wasn't wearing his own stuff, it was probably soaked in blood. Cute Guy wouldn't have let him lay down on a bed, probably his own, without giving him a change of clothes.

He moved towards the door as silently as he could and opened it wide enough to peak out: he could see a living room, probably the place they crashed into when they got here last night (' _I have to ask him how he did that_ ') and, at the very back, he saw Cute Guy (' _I really need to find out his name, I can't keep calling him like that_ ') moving around in the kitchen. He was about to continue moving silently toward the guy, but realized that might not be the best idea: what if he startled him and made him unexpectedly react?

So he opened the door fully, trying to make some noise even when he stepped into the room. Cute Guy immediately turned around with a surprised look, before smiling widely and waving him over.

"Good morning! Come here, how are you feeling?"

"Morning..." he greeted back and saw how the other's eyes widened when he heard how low the tone of his voice was. "Better, thank you."

"I'm glad" the other replied while Leedo took a seat at the table. "Would you like anything to drink? Or eat? I've just had breakfast, but I can make something for you."

"Tea would be nice" Leedo said, watching how Cute Guy immediately turned around to prepare it.

They kept quiet until the other placed a steaming mug in front of Leedo and took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"So... That was a Dark Mage last night, right?"

Leedo nodded, taking a sip and letting out a content sigh: humans thought vampires would be cold as ice, but in reality their bodies were at a constant very, _very_ low temperature and didn't mind eating or drinking things that could warm them up (blood, which was their main "food", was warm after all).

"I have no idea who he was or why he attacked me" he admitted. "He was spouting something about being like a God and trying to get rid of things he considered filth like me. Yeah," he nodded at the confused and surprised expression the other guy had "he totally sounded like a nut and I told him so."

"That's..." Cute Guy seemed completely baffled and, honestly, Leedo felt the same. "Okay, we have a psycho going around. This fits with what I've heard."

"Hmm?"

"How much are you involved with the Community?"

"Not much, to be honest" Leedo admitted. "Besides my Sire and a few others, I don't really mingle with others. I don't..." if he was human, he would have blushed. "What I am and my... _resting bitch face_ , as my Sire called it... is enough to discourage others from approaching me. Combined with my shy personality, well..." he shrugged, embarassed by his own admission.

"You do look a bit scary" the other said. "But you are also incredibly handsome, which, by the way, is completely unfair. And I know a lot of people are into the «mysterious, cold on the outside but soft on the inside» look. You seem to fit it perfectly."

Leedo didn't know how to react, glad that his face couldn't turn red as much as if he was human, and simply went back to sip his tea.

"Anway, back to what I was saying" the other continued. "There had been rumours of attacks to various Hiddens for the past couple of months. I think they started around November?" the other looked pensive for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah, November. We are at the end of January and, if I remember correctly, five other people have been attacked."

Leedo blinked, surprised by the news. "Vampires?" he asked, but Cute Guy shook his head.

"The first two were Warlocks, which is why I think the Council didn't immediately get involved" he said, making Leedo nod.

"They probably thought it was an internal matter" he replied and saw the other agreeing with his words.

"However, the next time they went after a Werewolf, then a Vampire and the last one was a Nymph" the other explained.

"Oh..." That was unexpected and troubling news. "Did anyone...?"

Cute Guy shook his head and Leedo couldn't help but sigh in relief: just because he didn't really mingle with the rest of the Hiddens, it didn't mean he was indifferent to the tragedies that sometimes struck their Community.

And then a sense of dread filled him because "I could have been the first" he whispered, which wasn't really a pleasant thought.

"Hey" the other said, reaching out to grab his hand with one of his own. "You are still here."

"Thanks to you" he replied. "I owe you my life" he added, grasping the hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, watching how the other was surprised by the gesture and immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no need to thank me. I did what any other person would have."

"It was still a risk" he said. "That psycho could have quickly reacted and he wouln't have hesitated to attack you too. So... _thank you_."

Cute Guy blushed at his words and ducked his head. "You're welcome."

Leedo smiled: the other was really adorable.

"By the way, last night there was really no time for introductions" he said, letting go of the hand he was holding only to properly grasp it into a handshake. "My name is Kim Geonhak, but in the Community I'm know as Leedo and, as you already know, I'm a Vampire. May I know my saviour's name?"

Cute Guy blinked at him a few times, before smiling widely. "Lee Keonhee. And I'm a Fairy."

~

It was way past dinner time when Leedo walked back inside his tiny apartment. He had spent the rest of the day with Keonhee and it had been... _interesting_.

He didn't have much information about Fairies, but he knew they were nothing like common myths and folklore painted them.

Keonhee was... a bundle of joy. He talked enthusiastically about things he liked (there were _a lot_ of them: flowers, puppies, food, music, kittens, trees, clouds, festivals, and so many more...), could be very sarcastic when prodded, was incredibly clumsy ("How the hell did you manage to trip out of _thin air_? Twice." "Shut _uuuppp_ "), had a very caring nature, was a well of knowledge regarding things about the Community ("By the way, you need to report your attack, at least to your Guardian" Keonhee had said. "The more the Council knows, the better they can act. That mad guy is targeting the whole Community. Any info we have have on him is helpful." And Leedo had agreed to get in touch with both his Sire and his Guardian), and would pout when sad or things didn't go as he thought they would (Leedo was fimly convinced that his pout was _lethal_ : if Keonhee ever asked him for the Moon and pouted at him, Leedo wouldn't hesitate to find a way to give him what he wanted).

He was also a very stubborn person and insisted that Leedo should feed from him before he left for the evening.

"I'm fine" Leedo tried to object. "All my wounds are gone, which is more than I expected. I'm rested and full. You even gave me food."

"And we both know that drinking a few mouthful of blood would be the equivalent of a week of food for a normal human, if not more" the other rebutted. "And being a Fairy means my blood is not exactly normal, but much more potent. So it's even better for you."

Leedo would like to state that he tried to refuse, he really did.

And then Keonhee _pouted_.

And made _puppy eyes_ at him.

And Leedo folded like wet tissue.

Keonhee was right, though. His blood tasted _amazing_ and just a few seconds later he felt completely energized. He was still careful not to get too much because he didn't want to hurt the other or accidentally get knocked out again.

"By the way, how did you do it?"

"Ah, people think Fairies have super, mystical powers. In reality we can boost people's happiness or calm them down even to the point of sleep. And, of course, help nature to flourish. But that's it."

"It was the first time in over a century since I've last been able to fall asleep."

"Wow, over a century? Really?"

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

"... Dude, you're _old_."

"Yah, listen here−"

But Keonhee laughed and Leedo found himself smiling at the sight. ' _Damn he's really cute._ '

Keonhee had also decided that now they were friends and fully expected him to call, text and meet up every once in a while.

Leedo was honestly happy about it. Keonhee was _good_ and bursting like a starlight. And Leedo didn't mind basking into his warmth.

~

Being friends with Keonhee was... an _experience_.

During the day Leedo would get cute messages or random pictures or memes that sometimes he wouldn't get (" _Boomer_ " "You do realize I'm older than that, right?" "... _Ancient_ Boomer" "That's it, come here you little−").

He even had flowers at his house now, all gifts from Keonhee himself.

"What is that?" he asked the second time the other visited his apartment carrying a pot in his hand.

"Flowers."

"Yes, I can see that."

"Didn't seem like it."

"Is this another jab about my age?"

"I said _nothing_."

"You definitely _implied_ it."

"You can't prove anything" Keonhee replied, sticking his tongue out and letting himself into the place, gently placing the pot on a windowsill. "You're my friend now and I refuse to let you stay in this crampled place without some bits of colors and nature."

"What if I'm allergic?"

Keonhee turned around with a deadpan expression but Leedo already looked embarassed by what he blurted.

"I want you to think _very hard_ about what you just said, remember _what_ you are and try to repeat those words to me with a straight face."

Leedo just rolled his eyes, mentally slapping himself for his own idiocy, but also secretly enjoying how Keonhee was trying to keep himself from grinning.

"Whatever. So what are those? _Don't_ " he said, motioning with his hand to Keonhee who had already opened his mouth. "Don't say 'flowers' again. I can see that. I wanna know what kind."

"These are Ivy flowers. Look, I got them both pale yellow and blue, just like our hair!"

Leedo couldn't help but smile at Keonhee's enthusiasm.

"It also means friendship" the other added, walking towards him and letting his arms rest against Leedo's shoulders. "I'm so happy we had the chance to meet and become friends."

"Me too" Leedo replied, letting his arms circle around Keonhee's waist, pulling him closer.

They had been friends for barely a couple of months, but Leedo had already noticed how he was changing thanks to the other. He would find himself smiling more, enjoy the little things that surrounded him, look forward to what a new day would bring.

' _I never realized I needed someone like him in my life until we found each other_ ' he thought, watching as Keonhee's eyes seemed to sparkle when he spotted a stall with plushes.

It was the end of March and they were enjoying one of their weekly nights out, walking around the Hidden's Night Market: it was similar to the one Non-Hids had, but this one catered to the variety of species that made the Community and the hum of magic spreading through the market made it look even more shiny. It was one of those places he barely frequented before, but Keonhee loved coming here, even if it was just to stroll around and look at what each stall had to offer, and Leedo had come to realize he was a weak man and couldn't deny the other's requests (not that they were unreasonable ones). Especially if Keonhee pouted at him, like he was doing now, holding up a bunny plushie.

"Hyung~, isn't this cute?"

' _You are cuter_ ' he almost blurted, but managed to bite the words back in time. He simply nodded and moved to take his wallet out. When Keonhee noticed, he looked surprised and quickly tried to stop him.

"No hyung, wait. You don't have to−"

"I don't _have_ to. But I _want_ to" he replied, turning towards the owner to pay for the plushie. As soon as he was done and turned back around, Keonhee crashed into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks hyung, you are the best~" he said, squeezing his waist, before letting go. "Come on, let's get something to drink. My turn to pay now! And I don't accept a no" he added, before marching towards a nearby stall that sold a variety of food and drinks.

"Your boyfriend is cute" the stall owner said, making Leedo look at him.

He was about to reply that ' _No, he's not my boyfriend, we are friends, just friends_ ' but Keonhee was already calling him over, so he just nodded, greeted the other man and walked towards his friend.

His _friend_.

Don't get him wrong, Leedo knew Keonhee was very attractive. Coupled with his charming personality and his ability to make everybody around him feel at ease, he was definitely what people called "a catch".

And it's not like Leedo didn't think about it. During the past couple of weeks, everytime he was with Keonhee, the random, stray thought of ' _what if?_ ' came to his mind.

But Leedo didn't want to risk it. Keonhee's friendship had already been a greater gift than he'd ever expected to receive in his life. He didn't think the other would cut ties with him if he tried to move their relationship towards a "more than friends" direction, but Leedo was sure things would change and he didn't want to lose the light he unexpectly found.

He was already keeping himself in check everytime he fed from Keonhee: the neck was the best spot for a bite (the second one would be the inner thight and biting the other in such an intimate place would mean to really push at his self control) and considering the Fairy was taller than him (and no, he _wasn't_ annoyed by it, not even _a bit_ ), the ideal position for a feeding would be having Keonhee sitting on his lap.

He had to chant to himself over and over again ' _He's your friend. Control yourself. Don't go overboard. No touching inappropriate places. Try not to get a boner_ ' every single time Keonhee would plant himself on his lap and offer his neck for a bite.

But the heart knows no reason. And, lately, his mind wasn't even putting up much of a fight anymore.

' _What if?_ '

~

The moment Keonhee opened the door and Leedo noticed that he had been crying, he knew something really bad had happened.

"Hey, come here" he whispered, pulling Keonhee into a hug and holding him as tight as he could without hurting him. "What's wrong?"

Keonhee was just clinging to him, letting out a sniff every few seconds; it took a few minutes to calm him down and Leedo had already moved them to sit on the couch, Keonhee firmly placed on his lap.

"Two other Hiddens got attacked this week" the other started to say and Leedo felt his stomach sink, knowing already where this was going. "A mage and a nymph. They... they didn't..." and Keonhee started sobbing again.

Leedo could do nothing but hold him closer, caress his back and try to whisper words of comfort.

"Did you know them?"

"Not the nymph, but the mage was a friend of a friend and he's _devastated_."

"I can imagine. I'm sorry for your friend."

"Why is this happening?" Keonhee said, sounding sad and angry at the same time. "What's the whole point? There's a reason we call ourself Hidden, most of us barely interact with normal humans at all and we haven't been at war with each other in centuries. I don't understand..."

"I don't either" Leedo replied, shaking his head. The whole thing was just getting worse and he sincerely hoped the Council could track the Dark Mage soon and destroy him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Keonhee pulled back to look at him.

"I'm so glad I found you that night" he said, letting his trembling hands cup Leedo's face. "If I didn't, you... I can't... I can't imagine something happening to you, hyung... I don't wanna lose you" he added, tearing up again at the mere thought.

Leedo couldn't help but shiver: he had honestly thought he wasn't going to make it that night. If Keonhee hadn't walked into that alley, he wouldn't be here. He would have never met such a lovely person that had managed to become so dear and important to him in just over two months.

"You're not gonna lose me" he replied, pulling Keonhee so that their foreheads could touch.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Leedo spent the night laying on Keonhee's bed, keeping the other in his arms, vowing to himself that he wouldn't get caught again by that psycho still running around.

' _I swear I'll stay alive. So that I can come back to you. I promise to keep you safe. You are my dream come true. And I won't let anything or anyone hurt my most precious treasure._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. This chapter is not as long as I originally thought, but I'm kinda pleased with everything so that's it.
> 
> Next chapter: September 25th/26th 
> 
> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as he was weighting his options, a terrible thought crossed his mind. 
> 
> ' _What if I don't help and Keonhee gets attacked?_ '
> 
> That was simply... _unacceptable_. If the person he liked −and yes, he could admit at least to himself that he liked Keonhee− got hurt when he could do something to prevent it, he would never be able to forgive himself.
> 
> "I'll do it" he said, nodding at the Council seated in front of him. "I'll join."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the thing: when I wrote the outline for this chapter, I had an idea of where this was going.  
> And then I actually started to write it and... some things slightly changed.  
> Moments / situations that I planned to write for this chapter couldn't fit in anymore so they're gonna end up in the next one.  
> Does this mean the story will get longer? I have no f*cking idea and my muse is a tightlipped b*tch.
> 
> This chapter features: Leedo getting involved in the search of the Villain of the story, Keonhee is Not Impressed™ by his decision, Tracking For Dummies 101, confusion, a festival and an unexpected arrival.
> 
> "Dialogue"  
> ' _Thoughts_ '  
> «Messages / written texts / dialogues narrated inside other dialogues»
> 
> Enjoy~❤

"I got summoned by the Council."

Keonhee momentarily stopped preparing his dinner and turned around, looking surprised by the news.

"You did? Why?"

"No idea." Leedo shrugged, moving into the kitchen to help the other. "But I have to be there tonight."

"Oh, what time?"

"I got a couple of hours before I need to leave" Leedo replied after checking the clock.

"... This is probably related to the attacks, right?" Keonhee asked, a frown appearing on his face.

"Yeah, maybe. The latest was two days ago."

"Another Werewolf. But this guy survived."

"If by that you mean he got beaten to an inch of his life and is now in a medical coma, then yeah, he survived." Leedo said, helping to set the table, even if he was only going to drink some tea while the other would eat his dinner.

Keonhee was silent for a while, a thoughtful expression on his face while he finished preparing his food.

"What is it?" Leedo couldn't help but ask after a while. ' _I'm not used to a silent Keonhee._ '

"I just... have a bad feeling."

"About tonight?"

Keonhee shook his head and sat town with his dinner.

"No, in general. I..." he stopped talking for a few moments, biting his lips while looking as if he was weighting whether to say something or not. "Hyung, I don't wanna get nosey over your business, but would you mind coming back here after you are done with the Council tonight?" Keonhee asked, almost pleadingly.

Leedo was slightly surprised by the request.

"My meeting is around 10:30pm, I don't know how long it's gonna last" he cautiously replied.

"That's okay" Keonhee immediately said. "It doesn't matter when you stop by. I just... Could you do it, please?"

And how could Leedo say no to the other, especially when he sounded so concerned and pouted at him?

"Of course. Wait for me."

~

Leedo blinked a few times, more out of habit than because of a real necessity.

"Could you repeat that?"

Sungyoon, the Guardian representative of the Vampires, turned to shoot an unimpressed look at him.

"I said we are creating teams of Hunters to catch this Dark Mage" the other replied. "We are asking if you want to join one of them."

"But... why me?"

"Besides the fact you already met this guy" another member of the council, a Demon by the look of it, turned to explain, "you have fought in wars before and already have enough training for a job like this."

"Didn't help me much when I was attacked" Leedo couldn't help but counter back.

"Which is why we are sending teams of people with different skills. You have speed and strenght" Sungyoon said. "If you decide to accept, you'll be joined by two others, a Nymph who'll act like the Tracker and Ward Specialist and a Mage who'll provide Support, both medical and magical. Other teams will be similarly structured."

Leedo was silent for a few minutes, thinking carefully about his decision.

He could admit he wanted to get his hands on the bastard that almost killed him and give him a taste of his own medicine. Having other people with him probably increased the chances of success.

On the other hand it was a risky situation. The Dark Mage was strong and apparently quite good at going undetected, even after all these months and attacks. If he accepted and met him, the probabilities of getting heavily injured were high.

Just as he was weighting his options, a terrible thought crossed his mind.

' _What if I don't help and Keonhee gets attacked?_ '

That was simply... _unacceptable_. If the person he liked −and yes, he could admit at least to himself that he liked Keonhee− got hurt when he could do something to prevent it, he would never be able to forgive himself.

"I'll do it" he said, nodding at the Council seated in front of him. "I'll join."

' _Now comes the hardest part: telling Keonhee about it._ '

~

"I knew it. I knew it!"

"Keonhee, calm down..."

" _Don't_ tell me to calm down, hyung!" Keonhee replied looking angry. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this!"

"I can help. I _want_ to help" Leedo replied moving slowly towards the other to stop him from his furious pacing. "Too many people suffered because of him. Don't you think it's time to put an end to this situation?"

"But why does it have to be _you_?" Keonhee complained, turning away from him. It didn't help to hide the way his whole body was shaking.

"Hey, look at me" Leedo softly said, even if the other stubbornly refused. "Keonhee, _please_."

He felt his heart break when he noticed how red Keonhee's eyes were and the tears falling down.

"Come on Little Bunny, don't cry" he said, calling him by own of his favorite nicknames and pulling him in his arms.

"I don't want you to get hurt" Keonhee whispered, voice broken by the emotions. "I don't wanna lose you, hyung..."

"You won't" Leedo said, tightening his hold. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Just so you know, if you break your promise, I'll never forgive you" Keonhee replied, leaning completely against him and burying his face in the crook of his neck.

"Then I really have to do my best to keep it so that I can come back to you."

~

"It's really weird. At some point the trace just... disappears."

"You've said this at all the places we visited. Are you sure you're using the correct spell?"

" _Yes_. I know what I'm doing, _thank you very much_. But this shouldn't happen."

"Lots of creatures can do it. I have the ability to do it. Even someone like you can."

"But a human _cannot_ do it. And what the hell does it mean «even someone like you», huh?"

"Nevermind, go back to search, Tracker-boy."

"For someone who has been doing absolutely nothing, you are acting a bit too bossy."

"Nothing? _Nothing_!? Who helps power up your wards, huh? That's right, it's me, bitch."

"Listen here−"

"Both of you, _shut the fuck up_ " Leedo growled, startling the other two members of his team.

He sighed out loud, rubbing his eyes out of irritation.

It has been a week since the team was formed and Leedo was already Tired™. Don't get him wrong, he actually liked the other two: Seoho, the Mage and tracker, was a funny guy, sometimes clumsy as fuck (' _He kind of reminds me of Keonhee_ '), but very knowledgeable in his field; Dongju, the Nymph, usually acted like a sarcastic little shit, but he was also a big softie on the inside. They were good at their job and have known each other for years already, which explained the constant bickering. Leedo just wished they could tone it down sometimes, or he was going to develop a permanent migraine.

"Tell me why you say it's weird" he asked, looking at the hovering marks that appeared after the spell was cast.

"Right" Seoho cleared his throat, before pointing at some of the symbols. "Look here. These four black marks represent the trace of Dark Magic being used" he said, highlighting the symbols so the other two could see them better. "This is the third site of attack we have visited and, every time I casted my spell, these came out. So we can conclude the same type of Dark Magic had been used in all of them, right?"

Leedo and Dongju nodded so Seoho moved to point at other symbols. "Every person has their own... signature. Even those who cannot use magic have it. It's how we can distinguish between people and how we manage to track them. These three gray marks next to the black ones are also always the same and they represent the signature of the person who used the Dark Magic, meaning we can use this to identify and track the Mage, correct?"

The other two nodded again and Seoho continued with his explanation.

"The red marks represent the person who was attacked. If you remember from the other two places, they are all different because, well... they were all different people. They are important, of course, but what we need to focus on are _these marks_ " he said, highlighting two small dark brown symbols.

"What's so special about them?" Leedo asked.

"Besides the signature ones, these are the marks Trackers focus on, because they are direction marks."

"Direction marks?"

"Yeah, it's like..." Seoho looked contemplative for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay, imagine you are on the beach. Every step you take leaves a footprint behind, right? So if I reach the beach after you, I just have to search for those and look at the direction to follow you. Unless you walk on the shoreline, your steps should remain visible for a while so tracking you should be easy, right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty straightforward" Leedo replied.

"Except _this_ is what's weird in this case" Seoho said, turning to point at the marks again. "When you cast a Tracker spell, there should at least be four marks: two for the actual direction and two for the space."

"... I don't get it" Leedo admitted; from the corner of his eyes he could see even Dongjun looked confused.

"If you go North, and _only_ North, it should shows a double mark representing it; if you go North-East, it comes up as a North symbol first and an East one after" Seoho patiently explained. "Those are for direction. The ones for space indicates if someone moved on ground level, went under or up in the air. As you know, some Hiddens can fly, people can get picked up by machines or climb up places. Or they have powers or escape routes going underground."

"... Okay, that's a bit clearer" Leedo nodded and looked at the symbols again. "But here there are only two."

"Exactly" Seoho said, turning to check the results of the spell. "What I usually do as a Tracker is use those marks as a focus for another spell and that kind of creates a thread I can follow. It's like looking for the bread crumbs in that children's story."

"But you can't do it now" Dongju said, looking thoughtful.

"Not only I can't do it" Seoho admitted. "It shouldn't be possible for only two marks to show up. Here it clearly shows that he took a step forward on ground level and then... he was _gone_."

Seoho moved to a specific spot on the street and pointed at it.

"The reason why I casted the spell multiple times in all the places we've visited is because it happened in all of them. In this case, he was standing here when he made that move. Something that he shouldn't be able to do."

"Because he's a human" Dongju said, making Seoho nod at his words.

"I don't get it" Leedo admitted. "As a Dark Mage he could have access to a variety of spells. And Dark Magic taps into Demonic Powers. He could have simply learned it."

"Not really" Dongju said when Seoho silently prompted him to explain. "Dealing with Dark Magic is not easy. Demons, of course, have a higher level of affinity with it, so it's easy for them. Other magicals like me, Faeries, Mages, Warlocks, we can use it, but it takes years of practice and, if your level of affinity is low, you can't do a lot with it no matter how much you try."

"... Okay. And?"

"Human, regular, plain humans, have no magic. _At all_ " Dongju said. "If a human is capable of using magic, 95% of the time it's Dark Magic, and they are simply borrowing it by tapping into Demonic Powers, usually because they got in touch with some sort of artifact."

"This is why the title of Dark Mage is applied only to Non-Hiddens" Seoho added.

"Being able to disappear like this guy has done shouldn't be possible" Dongju kept explaining. "Some Hiddens have Teleportation abilities, like us Nymphs or Demons or Faeries. It's easy for us, because it's a skill we have in our genes. For other Hiddens with magic who don't have this ability since birth and want to learn it, it takes a lot of power and concentration. _A lot_. And they can be aided by their own natural magic."

"And, as a human, this feat should be nearly impossible, no matter if he's a Dark Mage" Leedo said, making the other two nod.

"Meaning this guy is powerful. _Extremely_ so" Seoho said.

They all remained quiet for a while, digesting the new information.

"So, what do we do now?" Dongju asked, turning towards Leedo.

"Write a report about what we found out" he replied. "We meet the Council and the other teams tomorrow. We'll talk about it and exchange info. Then it will be up to the Council. It's enough for tonight. You can go home."

The other two nodded and a few minutes later they were all gone from the place.

"That sounds really bad" Keonhee said after Leedo told him about his evening with the team.

"Yeah, I knew it wasn't gonna be easy, but I didn't expect that" he admitted.

The two of them were sitting against the headboard of Keonhee's bed, sipping a cup of tea while talking about the latest revelations.

"You are worried" Keonhee said.

"How can I not be?" Leedo replied. "There's a nutcase with too much power going around hurting and killing innocents. Who knows how much of a mess he can cause before he gets stopped."

Keonhee sighed and placed his empty cup on the bedside table.

"I wish you weren't involved, but you've suffered because of him as well, so I understand."

"But you still don't like it" he said, placing his own cup down and reaching to grab Keonhee's hand.

"I don't. Because if you meet him again, you're gonna fight and I hate the thought of you getting hurt" the other said, moving to lay down fully on the bed and pulling Leedo down with him.

"I'll be careful. I promised you, right?" he said, spreading his arms so that Keonhee could cuddle up to him.

"You are very important for me, hyung" the younger whispered, clinging tightly to his shirt.

"Like you are for me" he replied, placing a kiss on top of the other's hair.

' _You are also one of the reasons why I'm doing it. I will do anything I can to keep you safe_.'

~

"These are troubling news indeed."

Leedo had just finished presenting his report in front of the Council and the other teams. While he didn't like to stand on the spotlight, he had been appointed as team leader, so it was his responsibility to explain the evidence they had collected.

He saw how the teams who had been sent to the other locations of attacks all nodded and exchanged uneasy looks and Leedo had a sinking feeling about the reason.

"Have you all noticed the same thing?" a member of the Council asked.

When all the other team leaders nodded, the mood dropped even more.

"How is it possible there's someone like him around?" another member, a Nymph by the look of it, asked, slamming his hand on the table. "There was a Purge after the Colonizers left. And the Nation-wide wards always pick up when someone tries to smuggle in something deemed illegal."

"Maybe not everything got destroyed" the Werewolf Guardian said. "The country was in the middle of a civil war when the Purge was approved and the wards came up later. There could have been places that weren't checked because of the war and nobody went to look there after."

' _That doesn't make the situation any better_ ' Leedo thought, watching how everybody else in the room looked contemplative.

"There's another possibility" the Demon Guardian said, a deep frown marring his face. "It pains me to even think about it, but there could be the chance that he's getting helped by someone on the Other Side."

When he noticed everybody was looking at him with blank expressions on their faces, he sighed and stood up to explain.

"Some Demonic artifacts don't grant you powers or abilities just by using them; they are means to get in touch with the Other Side, the Demon Underworld, where our powers flow freely and there are plenty on unbound beings. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about" he added when he noticed confused faces, "Demons residing here in this world, either born or summoned, have to sign a contract fused with our blood and magic that states we are not allowed to grant our powers to Non-Hiddens or to arm the Community if we want to be allowed to stay. It's law and it was approved a couple of centuries ago; those that refuse to sign it are sent back to the Other Side, even by force if necessary, or they get killed."

He took a deep breath before he continued.

"If a Non-Hidden had gotten in touch with an artifact that granted him communication with the Other Side, an unbound Demon could have decided to grant him powers, obviously in exchange for something. If this happened, it could be the Demon himself doing the Teleportation, without actually having to travel between Sides, because he would be picked by the wards otherwise."

"And this would explain how somebody like this Dark Mage could manage to disappear" Sungyoon said, looking contemplative.

"As I said, it's a possibility" the Demon Guardian said. "I honestly hope I'm wrong, but I couldn't discard the chance of it being true" he added, making other members of the Council nod at his words.

"Now what?" one of the team leader asked.

"If Chan agrees to help me" the Demon Guardian said, gesturing towards the Mage Guardian who nodded, "within the next few days I'll try and get in touch with someone on the Other Side and see if I can find some additional information."

"The rest of you keep going as you've done till now" the Werewolf Guardian said, turning towards the team. "We'll meet again next week, same day, same time."

"Hm, excuse me?" Leedo turned to see Dongju raising his hand. When he was invited to continue he stood up, even if he looked a bit nervous. "What about the Lotus Lantern Festival? It's this weekend on the 24th and the streets will be filled with Hiddens of all ages."

Leedo saw the Council members quietly communicate with each other. He was also interested into their answer, because he had considered going with Keonhee and wanted to avoid putting him in danger.

"A special, temporary ward will be raised around the Hidden Market Place where the Festival will take place" a Council member said. "It will be a War-Level one, which is why it will only be up for those three days, as it takes enormous power and effort to set it up."

"If we don't do it like this and decide to cancel the Festival, many Hiddens would end up joining the one made by the Non-Hids, and we couldn't protect them openly" Sungyoon said, making many people nod.

"See you in a week's time" the Nymph Guardian said. "Meanwhile enjoy the Festival and keep each other safe. Thank you."

~

"Hyung! Hyung! Look! Oh, that one is so well crafted" Keonhee said, eyes sparkling with joy, pointing at one of the lanterns.

Leedo just smiled, basking in the happiness radiating from the other.

When he had stopped by Keonhee's house earlier to pick him up, he had felt his brain crash and burn.

Keonhee looked _breathtaking_ : he was wearing a modern version of a Hanbok the same color of his hair, a flower crown on his head and a tiny golden bell attacked to the end of his pendant earring.

Leedo could do nothing but stare numbly at him for a few moments and only got back to his senses when Keonhee placed a hand over his eyes, letting the rest of his body lean against his own.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I can't help it, you look _amazing_."

" _Hyuuuung_ ~" Keonhee complained sounding embarassed, but also pleased at the same time.

Leedo had spent the majority of the evening simply looking at the other, the way he laughed, how his eyes seemed to hold galaxies in them, the delicate moves of his body when he joined one of the dances.

' _I like him. I like him so much._ '

It was almost the end of April, barely three months since Keonhee saved him, but Leedo had never gotten so close to someone this fast. Keonhee was his starlight, an endless source of comfort and happiness.

Which is why he was seriously considering asking him to become his only Donor.

Despite somehow being able to eat, blood remained the preferred nourishment for Vampires.

And Keonhee tasted _heavenly_.

Leedo already fed from him once a week, despite Keonhee offering it even more frequently, but asking to become his only Donor was special.

If Keonhee accepted, it would create a bond between them, one that couldn't easily be broken. It would also extend the Donor's life, even if a Faerie's lifespan was already longer compared to many other Hiddens.

"Hyung?" Keonhee asked, distracting him from his thoughts. "Everything okay?"

Leedo smiled, pulling the other closer and placing a gentle kiss on his neck.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

' _As long as I have you, everything is perfect._

_... Soon. I'll ask him soon._ '

~

"And then Seoho tripped, barrelling into Dongju, making both of them fall into the river" Leedo said, watching how Keonhee laughed hard at his story.

"What did you do?" the younger asked him when he got his laughter under control.

"The only thing I was supposed to do: called them idiots and left" he replied, making Keonhee burst out laughing again.

"Oh dear, that's hilarious!"

"I'm sure they'll find a way to get back at me next time but I−" Leedo stopped talking when he heard someone knock on the door. "Waiting for someone?" he asked Keonhee, who shook his head.

When the younger moved towards the door, Leedo stopped and decided to go himself. ' _Just in case._ '

He opened the door and stared blankly at the person standing on the other side.

"What the hell are you doing here?" they both said at the same time.

"Hyung? Who is it?" Keonhee asked, walking closer. As soon as he noticed the newcomer, he looked surprised and smile widely. "Youngjo-hyung! You are back!" he said, throwing himself into the arms of the other.

Leedo stood there, unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Come in, come in! When did you get back?" Keonhee asked, pulling Youngjo inside and closing the door. "Ah, I don't know if you know each other, but this is−"

"Leedo, real name Kim Geonhak" Youngjo answered, looking at the other with a baffled expression. "I know perfectly well who he is."

"Oh?" Keonhee said, switching his gaze between the two Vampires.

"I was the one who turned him" Youngjo said, gesturing towards Leedo who was still standing frozen near the door.

"EH?!" Keonhee exclaimed, clearly surprised. "Geonhakie-hyung, Youngjo-hyung is your Sire??"

Leedo saw Youngjo mouth « _Geonhakie?_ » and just nodded numbly, before shaking himself.

"How do you know each other?" he couldn't help but ask.

"We met years ago" Keonhee replied, grabbing Leedo's hand and pulled him to sit down on the couch, inviting Youngjo to sit on the other space next to him. "When was it... Five years, I think?"

Youngjo nodded, moving his gaze between Keonhee, Leedo's blank stare and their intertwined fingers.

"How did you two met?" his Sire asked.

Leedo saw Keonhee's smile drop and gently squeezed his hand. The younger gave him a grateful look, before turning to answer.

"Do you know about the attacks by the Dark Mage?"

"It was the reason I got back from my trip" Youngjo answered. "I heard lots of people got hurt and others even died."

"Hyung was attacked three months ago" Keonhee said, making Youngjo immediately sit up straight and turn a piercing gaze toward Leedo.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I told Sungyoon-hyung" Leedo answered, feeling a little overwhelmed by the concerned gaze directed at him by his Sire. "I completely recovered."

"Only because I got there in time" Keonhee said, frowning at him. "You were bleeding pretty badly and he was about to kill you."

"He _what_?!"

"Youngjo-hyung, I'm fine now."

"Yes, _now_. Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Yeah, sure" he answered, maybe a little too quickly because both Keonhee and Youngjo turned unimpressed stares at him.

"And guess what? He's now on an Hunter team looking for this guy" Keonhee said, his tone of voice clearly showing he was still displeased about the situation.

"Really..." The gaze Youngjo threw at him obviously suggested they were going to have words about it later. Leedo would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit concerned about the upcoming conversation.

"So what brings you here?" he asked, trying to change the topic.

"I came to visit my favorite Faerie, of course~" Youngjo said, reaching over to gently pat Keonhee's free hand.

"You say that to all the Faeries you meet" the younger replied, rolling his eyes at his Sire's exaggerated wink.

"Because Faeries are cute and pretty, but you are my favorite, baby~" Youngjo said, gently pinching Keonhee's cheek.

' _What the fuck. What the actual fuck. Is he... is he flirting with Keonhee?_ _ **My**_ _Keonhee?_ '

"Yeah, sure~" Keonhee said, leaning back to lay his head against Leedo's shoulder, making his possessive side almost purr.

"You are definitely the most delicious" Youngjo said, wiggling his eyebrows in a very suggestive manner. "I've never tasted someone as good as you."

That sent all Leedo's thoughts to a screeching halt.

' _He tasted him? Did he drink from him before?_ '

He had mixed feelings about it: anger, because someone else tasted Keonhee's blood before him; possessiveness, because he wasn't happy about sharing the younger; dread, because this was his Sire and had unconsciously called dibs on the Faerie a long time ago.

' _Keonhee is not his only Donor, I can't feel that kind of bond between them... but would he want to be mine?_ '

"I have to go" he said, standing up abruptly. ' _I need time to think about this._ '

"Oh, already?" Keonhee asked, sounding surprised and disappointed, making a dark curl of satisfaction run throuhg him ' _He doesn't want me to go._ '

"Yeah, there's something I have to do before meeting the others."

"Oh, okay" the younger replied, standing up as well to walk him towards the door.

"Geonhak" he heard his Sire call him and he turned to look at him. "Now that I'm back we're gonna talk soon, okay?" he asked, even if it sounded more like a statement.

Leedo nodded and opened the door. Before he could leave, Keonhee grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt to make him turn around.

"Please be careful" he said, as he did every single time he went out with the team.

"I will. I made a promise, didn't I?" he replied, gently cupping Keonhee's cheek. He didn't care if Youngjo saw: everything was more complicated now, but that didn't change the attraction he felt for the Faerie.

"Come back here once you're done" Keonhee said, letting his hand cover Leedo's own and then moving to drop a kiss on his cheek. The fact that the younger did it in plain view of his Sire made Leedo feel very satisfied.

"Wait for me."

' _My beautiful treasure, I'm not giving you up._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gang's almost all here!  
> Also, as I said before, this is a multi-fandom series with interconnecting stories; case in point: the Sungyoon mentioned here is from another group and I'll write the story focusing on some members of that group after I'm done with this (but even in this story some other people will show up). I'll add the tags when it's time.
> 
> Next chapter: October 02nd/03rd
> 
> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You guys seem pretty close. I've never seen you feel so at ease with someone you've met relatively recently" Youngjo said, enjoying how Leedo was trying (and failing) to keep an expressionless face. "And Keonhee clearly likes you _a lot_."  
> "Really?" he couldn't help but ask and winced slightly when he saw Youngjo's smirk getting wider.  
> " _Oh_? Are you interested to know more about it?" his hyung asked, crawling slightly closer to him like an overgrown cat. "We had some time to talk and the topic of your... _relationship_ came up."  
> Leedo knew he was most likely falling into the other's trap, but he was extremely curious to know what Keonhee had said about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said in the previous chapter, I thought I had an idea of how this fic was going to go... But when I actually sat down to write it, my muse took possession of my body and did whatever the f*ck it wanted. _B*tch_. So here it is...
> 
> I have to admit there are not enough KeonDo interactions in this chapter, but it's kind of necessary for the plot. I apologize to those who expected to see more cute moments between them.  
> Also, quick explanation: "Port" is actually short for "Teleport / Teleporting", which is what Keonhee did when he saved Leedo in the first chapter.
> 
> I'm introducing new characters and I'm also adding the appropriate tags for it. For those of you coming to read this from other fandoms, yes, this is a multi-fandom fic and the plan is to write at least 2 more fics that shows different sides of the story involving the people from those fandoms.  
> So, stay tuned!
> 
> This chapter features: Youngjo and Leedo having a "father and son" moment, people getting hurt, Leedo and Keonhee not able to spend much time with each other, me pulling "scientific-and-magical" explanation out of thin air and...
> 
> "Dialogue"  
> ' _Thoughts_ '  
> «Messages / written texts / dialogues narrated inside other dialogues»
> 
> Enjoy~❤

"You've been avoiding me."

"... Hyung, the only reason why I haven't thrown a knife at you is because this hunt keeps my senses sharp all the time and I noticed your presence from the moment I walked in."

"As if you could actually hit me."

"Don't test me, old man. And what's with the Bond villain setting? Turn on the light, will you."

He heard a sigh coming from the corner of the room, before Youngjo switched on the lamp on the table next to where he was standing.

"What Bond villain nonsense are you talking about? It's more like «my child doesn't talk to me, so I have to break into his house and catch him by surprise». By the way, I didn't expect you to still live here" Youngjo said, moving to sit down by the couch.

"Rent is cheap, it's a place provided by the Community so my level of interaction with Non – Hids is low" Leedo shrugged, dropping his knives on the kitchen table and moving to prepare some tea. "Also, don't call me your child _ever_ again."

"I was the one who turned you, over one hundred years ago" his hyung pointed out.

"I ain't gonna call you «dad», if that's what you expect."

"You are ridiculous" Youngjo said, nodding his head in thanks when Leedo gave him his own cup of tea.

"Now tell me why you are avoiding me" his hyung said after a few moments where they just sat down and enjoyed their drinks.

"I'm not avoiding you. I saw you three days ago."

"Exactly. _Three days_. We haven't seen each other in _months_ and when I get back, you don't even spare me _five minutes_ of your time. I'm sad~" Youngjo said, pretending to wipe away his tears.

"Stop being a drama queen" Leedo muttered, lightly kicking the other's leg.

" _Never_ " his hyung immediately replied, smiling widely, before his expression turned serious. "Why didn't you tell me about the attack?"

"I did."

"No, _Keonhee_ did" Youngjo pointed out. "You just confirmed it. Were you ever going to tell me about it? _Don't_ think about lying, not to _me_."

Leedo sighed and finished his drink. He leaned back against the couch before turning to look at his Sire.

"Honestly, I don't know. Maybe after all of this mess got resolved."

Youngjo nodded, accepting his answer, even if he clearly didn't like it.

"The situation is bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah. A Dark Mage who may be helped by someone from the Demon Underworld" Leedo replied. "Still nothing certain, yet. But if that was true, then it's even worse than we imagined."

"Some people got hurt pretty badly and a few even died, right?"

Leedo nodded, feeling angry once again at the lack of progress. He had met his team earlier in the evening to check other spots where Hiddens had been attacked and even tried to politely enquire around if anybody has seen the Dark Mage before or heard anything unusual, but the results have been the same as the previous times: Seoho's spell kept showing always the same signs and Dongju confirmed that some sort of sound / vision barrier had been casted to make sure outsiders couldn't notice the attacks when they happened.

"You'll be careful, right?"

"Don't worry, hyung. I have no intention of getting caught off-guard again." ' _Besides, I made a promise to Keonhee. And I intend to keep it._ '

"Good, good." Youngjo nodded and remained silent for a few seconds, before a smirk appeared on his face. "Now, what is going on between you and our favorite Faerie, hm?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" he replied, trying to sound casual, feeling uncomfortable by the switch of topic.

"Oh?" ' _... I don't like that smirk at all_.' "Are you sure about that?"

"What are you trying to imply?"

"Oh, nothing..." Youngjo said leaning against the armrest of the couch to better look at him. "Just something that came to mind from what I've observed and heard."

"And what would that be?" Leedo asked, suddenly feeling a bit anxious.

"You guys seem pretty close. I've never seen you feel so at ease with someone you've met relatively recently" Youngjo said, enjoying how Leedo was trying (and failing) to keep an expressionless face. "And Keonhee clearly likes you _a lot_."

"Really?" he couldn't help but ask and winced slightly when he saw Youngjo's smirk getting wider.

" _Oh_? Are you interested to know more about it?" his hyung asked, crawling slightly closer to him like an overgrown cat. "We had some time to talk and the topic of your... _relationship_ came up."

Leedo knew he was most likely falling into the other's trap, but he was extremely curious to know what Keonhee had said about him.

"If you feel like sharing..." he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Ah, there's not much to say~" Youngjo replied, leaning back to better observe his reaction, smirk still present on his face. ' _Bastard._ ' "What was it?" he wondered with a clearly fake pensive expression. "Oh yes! He thinks you are pretty _cool_ and _gentle_ and _sweet_. I think the word «handsome» came up a few times as well."

"Oh, good. That's... That's good" Leedo said, trying to keep his excitement in check. ' _This is more than good. It's great! Maybe... Maybe I can actually ask him..._ '

"You _do_ like him" Youngjo said, a tone of wonder in his voice, making Leedo turn to look at him.

"He's nice and a good friend" he replied, trying not to show too much what his feelings really were.

"A _friend_ " Youngjo repeated with a deadpan tone. "Is that all he is to you?"

"Hyung, what do you want me to say, hm?" Leedo asked, feeling slightly exasperated.

"The truth, for starters. You both are very dear to me, of course I'm curious to know if something is going on."

"He's dear to you? How come I've never heard of him from you before, then? Didn't Keonhee say you've met a few years ago?"

"He saved my life" Youngjo replied. "Not like the way it happened with you" he added when he saw Leedo's surprised face. "Remember that accident on the Community's Southern District, where an uncontrolled magical fire threatened to burn down a good chunk of the block?"

Leedo nodded: at the time he was on a trip and only heard about it when he got back and the whole situation was already solved.

"I was passing by when it happened. People quickly reacted, you know. Mages were trying to contain it and other Hiddens were using their own powers to save as many people and things as possible" Youngjo said. "I helped out as much as I could. But when it happened, I had not fed for almost a week and the warmth of the magical fire and all that moving around made it worse. I ended up crashing against a building and landed on a side alley."

"What happened then?" Leedo asked, curious to know more about the story he only heard in passing.

"Keonhee was also helping around and saw me. He quickly reached me and, when he realized what I was, offered his blood so I could feel better" his Sire answered, looking lost in his memory. "It definitely helped, a lot. I didn't drink much, only enough to be able to get away from there. It was only after we walked out of the zone that I realized the building I crashed into had caught on fire as well."

Youngjo sighed, stretching his limbs and letting a small smile show on his face.

"I know he wasn't the only one who noticed me, so I'm sure someone was going to get me away. But he reached me first, so..."

"You never told me about this" Leedo said, a troubled expression on his face.

"There wasn't much to tell" Youngjo replied and shrugged. "But that's how we met and we stayed friends after it."

"I see..."

"It bothers you, right?" Youngjo asked after Leedo remained silent for a while.

"What?"

"That _I_ tasted his blood. _That_ 's why you are avoiding me, am I right?"

Leedo looked surprised by the question, but, in his heart, he couldn't deny the truth. He really wasn't happy about it. Don't get him wrong, he was glad that Keonhee had been there to help and save his hyung, but knowing that somebody else had tasted his sweet, delicious blood was unsettling. Add to the fact that the person in question was not just a regular guy, but his own _Sire_ , well...

He was about to deny it, but one look at Youngjo's expression made him change his mind.

"Maybe..." he reluctantly admitted.

"Ah! I knew it!" Youngjo exclaimed, throwing his fists in the air. "I could almost smell the jealousy coming off you when we met at his place."

"Hyung, shut up" Leedo groaned, rubbing his eyes in irritation.

"Well? What are your plans? Gonna ask him out?"

"... If I ask you to stay out of it, you're not going to give up, hm?" Leedo asked tiredly, already knowing in his heart what the answer would be.

"Oh, you are completely right" Youngjo said, feeling pleased with himself. ' _I really want to punch him, but he would be able to avoid it and then make fun of me... I could try... Nah, it's not worthy..._ '

Leedo took his time to think about his answer: he liked Keonhee, liked him a lot. The thought of being with him, not just as friends, but as a couple, filled him with a sense of pure joy. And if he also accepted to be his only Donor, it would be just perfect.

"I did think about it" he said to Youngjo who was listening attentively. "I want him to be my Donor".

His Sire gasped and looked honestly surprised by his admission.

"Oh wow, I wasn't expecting _that_..."

"... Is it... is it bad?" he couldn't help but ask, feeling anxious.

Youngjo looked pensive for a moment, but when he turned to him, he had a small smile on his face.

"It's one thing to ask somebody to be your partner; relationships can end at any time. But the one between Donor and Vampire creates a really strong bond and getting involved into this is not a decision to be taken lightly" Youngjo gently explained. "But, honestly? I think it could really work between the two of you."

"Really?" Leedo asked, a seed of hope gently blossoming in his heart.

"I've seen you guys together only for a few minutes, but that and the way you talk about each other and how your expession changes when the other is mentioned, just confirms it to me."

"Okay, that's... thank you."

"Oh, don't thank me, you still have to man up and go ask him" Youngjo pointed out.

"I will. Once this situation is solved, I definitely will."

"Good."

"I'm expecting grandbabies in a few years, by the way."

"... Hyung, _what the fuck_?"

"What? I'm being serious!"

"That's not possible, you know. I'm a Vampire and we are both men."

"Shows how much of an ignorant you are on the matter. _Female_ Vampires might not be able to get pregnant, but Faeries _can_ , regardless of their gender. And you're obviously not gonna be the Carrier in this relationship."

"... Faeries can _what_?"

~

"Going to visit another site tonight? Haven't you already checked them all?" Keonhee asked, watching Leedo getting ready to go out and meet his team.

"We are switching up. We'll go to the spots other teams checked and others will do the same for the ones we've been to" Leedo replied, securing his knives behind his back and under his jacket.

"What's the point?"

"There might be a chance someone overlooked something. This way we can compare our findings and see if there's a difference" Leedo shrugged at the dubious expression Keonhee was making. "At this point it's the only thing we can do, we have no other leads."

Keonhee nodded, walking closer to give him a hug.

"Be careful, okay?"

"I will, don't worry" Leedo said, pulling him to lean more against his body.

"I always do" he heard the other say, feeling Keonhee's hands clench tightly behind his back.

"I know. I will be back before−"

A knock on the door interrupted him and they both turned to look at it.

"It's a bit too late for someone to come and visit you" Leedo said, pulling back and moving the other behind his own body.

"Keonhee, it's Hongjoong, open up!" was heard coming from outside.

Leedo heard Keonhee gasp and he saw the other quickly moving towards the door.

"What the...?" he muttered, feeling confused.

When it was opened, Leedo was surprised to see the guy he recognized as the Faerie Guardian from the Council.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" Keonhee said, inviting him to step inside his apartment.

The newcomer, Hongjoong, stopped in his tracks when he noticed Leedo, but then quickly nodded.

"Oh good, you are here, so I don't have to search for you."

Leedo and Keonhee exchanged a questioning look, before turning towards the Guardian.

"There's been an attack, probably happened only a couple of hours ago" Hongjoong said, making Keonhee gasp out loud and Leedo twitch in irritation. "I'm sending a couple of teams to check it, so it's a good thing you are here. The tracks are fresh. Can you contact your members and ask them where they are? I can Port to their places and pick them up."

Leedo nodded, grabbing his phone from his pocket and sending a quick text to the others.

"Who is it?" he heard Keonhee ask, the tone of his voice clearly betraying how anxious he was. "It's one of us, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Leedo saw Hongjoong sigh deeply before turning towards the other.

"It's Jangjun" he replied, making Keonhee drop his mouth from the surprise. "His... friend? Found him in his house. He's still alive, but his condition is not good."

"Not good? What do you mean _not good_?" Keonhee asked, clearly unsettled by the news. Leedo moved to wrap one of his arm around the other's waist and pulled him closer in silent comfort.

"There was... _a lot_ of blood. It's... it's really _bad_ " Hongjoong said, looking just as upset.

"Is there anything I can do?" Keonhee asked.

"If you feel up to it, you can stop by the Clinic. I left Yeosang with Jangjun's friend and the guy is a Non – Hids, he might need help to calm down and understand more about the whole situation."

Keonhee nodded, not even reacting to that piece of information. While he moved to grab his own stuff, Leedo got the replies from the rest of his team.

"Got the address. They are both at the same place" he said, showing the text to Hongjoong.

"Okay, then I'll bring you to them and then Port the three of you together at the location."

Leedo nodded and, as soon as he saw Keonhee was done getting ready, pulled him in for a quick hug.

"Stay safe, okay? I'll come back here later" he whispered.

"You too" Keonhee replied, before dropping a soft peck on his cheek. He quickly stepped back, locked the apartment's door, waved at them and Ported away, leaving no time for Leedo to react.

"Okay, let's go" Hongjoong said, presenting his arm for Leedo to grab. As soon as he did, they disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

~

Hongjoong was right: it looked really bad.

There was a big pool of blood in the hallway and there were scorch marks everywhere, half of the furniture was broken and the tainted smell of Dark Magic permeated the air.

Leedo was surprised that, while his team was in the middle of their investigation, Sungyoon, the Vampire Guardian, showed up. When he turned to look at him, the other was clearly shocked before his expression turned completely blank and a feeling of pure fury seemed to come from him.

"Hyung...?" he asked, moving slightly closer to the other while his teammates remained frozen in their spots. "Why are you here?"

"He is my friend" was the unexpected reply. Sungyoon turned towards him, his eyes completely turning a deep shade of red. "Find him. Find the bastard who did this so I can _feast on his blood_."

Leedo could only nod and watched dumbly as the other left.

"... Well, that happened" was Seoho's remark.

"Can't really blame him, though" Dongju said. "If Hiddens start getting attacked at their own houses, it means things are getting worse."

"So the sooner we catch him, the better it is for everybody" Leedo concluded. "Let's get back to work."

~

Leedo was exhausted: they had spent the whole night analyzing the place of the attack. Maybe it was because they got there only a few hours after it happened, but Seoho said he had managed to get more info and he was going to talk with someone from the other teams because he got an idea, which was probably the only positive thing about the whole situation.

He didn't even have time to go and see Keonhee: the other had texted him, in the middle of the night while they were still investigating, that he was going to be at the Clinic for a while longer and he'd probably go home in the morning. Leedo convinced him to get some rest when he reached his apartment and to not wait up for him, promising that he'd go and visit him in the afternoon.

However, that wasn't meant to be.

After getting back at his own apartment at around 7am, he spent some time washing the stench of Dark Magic and blood off his body and write down his report. Just as he was about to leave and go see Keonhee at his house after lunch, he received a text from the Council, asking for an emergency meeting.

Leedo muttered a curse and sighed. He grabbed his phone again to send a message to Keonhee.

«Emergency Council meeting. Have to go now. Sorry I can't stop by.»

«Oh... »

«It's fine, hyung, I understand.»

«Please, be safe, okay?»

«I have a bad feeling about the whole situation.»

«I will, don't worry.»

«You need to be careful as well.»

The atmosphere at the Council's room was even more tense than the other times, which was understandable. Not only someone got attacked in his own house, but that person was a Faerie.

Leedo knew the various races had gone to war against each other in the past, until they all finally reached an agreement. But during all those conflicts, Faeries had never been involved. Everybody always considered them as the «neutral party» and their houses or hideouts were universally counted as «safe havens», which made the attack against one of them even worse.

' _That idiot managed to make everybody pissed off even more, considering he also attacked someone who's a close friend of two of the Guardians..._ '

Leedo eyed the two people in question: both were furious, even if they showed it in opposite ways.

Hongjoong's blue hair (' _Is that a Faerie thing?_ ') seemed to be even brighter, little sparks kept appearing from his fingertips while he whispered animatedly with the Nymph Guardian sitting next to him who was trying to calm him down, even if he too looked mad at the situation.

On the other hand, Sungyoon was sitting perfectly still, but he seemed surrounded by a dark aura of death and rage that made even the Demon Guardian next to him subtly trying to edge away.

"He has gone too far" the Nymph Guardian said, standing up when it seemed he finally managed to calm Hongjoong down a bit. "We all wanted him dead before, but this was really the last straw. Any news?"

The Demon Guardian stood up when he asked and was allowed to speak.

"Some of my fellows and I managed to get in touch with the Other Side" he said. "Apparently, about six months ago, they felt a spike of energy, which means some sort of artifact had been activated."

"When they went to look for it, they found nothing" he added. "But they realized the burst didn't originate from there."

"Which means we were right. It was coming from our side, right?" the Werewolf Guardian said, making the Demon nod.

"But our wards didn't register anything unusual" the Mage Guardian said, turning to look at the Warlock Guardian who also seemed confused.

"Then it means either it happened under very powerful private wards, which means we need to go to the Archives and see if and where those things were applied in the past, or it is a kind of artifact that can pass as a regular object but has a counter feed activation. That means" the Demon added when he only received blank looks "that when used, the burst of energy it generates doesn't get released here, but on the Other Side, which is probably why we haven't got any trace of it before."

It was at the point that Seoho, sitting beside Leedo, started to frantically wave his hand in the air.

Hongjoong noticed him and silently invited him to speak.

"I have something to share" he said after he stood up. "I didn't even talk about it with the rest of my team, because I was working on it with others from different teams about an idea that we had."

"Please, go on."

"Well, remember how we explained that the guy seem to take a step away and suddenly disappear?" When he saw the others nod, he continued, pulling out several pieces of paper from the bag he was carrying, all of them showing some sort of diagrams. "We were all confused about it and focused more on the _how_. But maybe we should check on _where_."

Leedo was sure he looked perplexed as everybody else.

"Could you explain it better?" Hongjoong asked.

"I'm more of a pratical type of guy, so let me just" Seoho said, before moving to the front of the room so that everybody could see him. "Let's say this is a place where an attack happened. Then the guy did this" he said moving forward one step "and disappeared. Then" Seoho quickly walked to another part of the room "he did this here" Seoho repeated the same thing before moving to yet anther spot "and here. And so on."

"... Okay. And?"

"All those steps were in a _direction_ " Seoho explained. "At first we thought it was casual and all of us Trackers were mad because we couldn't follow our usual tracking methods. But what if it's _not_ casual? So me and Mingi and Jongho" he said, pointing at two guys sitting among the teams "my fellow trackers over there, thought: what if we need to look at it from a wider perspective?"

Everybody was silent for a few moments, trying to understand his point, before Leedo saw the Mage and Warlock Guardians stand up from their chairs with identical surprised expression.

"A spiderweb!" they exclaimed at the same time, making Seoho and the other two guys he mentioned nod.

"Yeah, I have no idea what you are talking about" the Nymph Guardian said. "Maybe an explanation for us common folk?"

The five of them gestured at each other for a while before they silently agreed to let Seoho talk.

"A spiderweb is the unofficial name for a particular type of tracking spell. It requires the presence of several mages casting it all at the same time in different spots, creating a grid that looks like some sort of spiderweb" he explained. "If we tailor it to focus on the signature of the Dark Idiot, it will create some kind of thread that we can finally follow. Either that is going to highlight a particular zone where he possibly resides, so we can narrow down our search, or point directly to his place."

Seoho's words left all the others stunned and silent for a couple of minutes.

"This is... this is great!" the Demon Guardian said. "How soon can we do that?"

"We might need a few days" the Warlock replied. "It's a spell that require a lot of power and concentration because it must be kept active for several minutes, so we need to round up enough people capable of that."

"We might have to do it more than once, over the period of several days" his fellow Mage added. "If Demons are also willing to help, it'll give us higher chances of getting good results."

Soon many others started to talk, trying to organize the whole thing.

Leedo could do nothing but feel relieved. ' _Maybe this is all going to end soon_ ' he thought.

It was at that moment that Hongjoong's phone started to ring. He apologized to the others and stepped back from the table, even if everybody quieted down.

"Yeo? What is it? Yeo!... Yeo, calm down! There's what...?"

At that point all the people in the room were focusing on him, a feeling of dread settling on everybody.

Leedo saw Hongjoong stiffen at the words only he could hear before the Faerie closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"At least he's still alive..." he said, making some people groan at the realisation that yes, somebody else had been attacked. "Okay, we'll be there soon."

As soon as he ended the call, he turned to look at the other people in the room.

"Another one?" the Nymph Guardian asked, even if the answer was already obvious.

Hongjoong nodded before he started to walk. It was only when he stepped in front of him that Leedo felt his insides turn into stone.

"No..." he whispered, not wanting to hear what the other had to say.

"The Dark Mage attacked Keonhee less than an hour ago. Someone found him on the street near his apartment and brought him to the Clinic about ten minutes ago. He's alive, but he's badly hurt. I'm sorry."

"No... No, he... no..." Leedo whispered again, not wanting to believe what he just heard.

' _Not Keonhee... Not My Keonhee... I promised I would protect him... I promised... I promised..._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... please don't throw rocks at me for hurting these babes! (* ≧ . ≦ *)  
> I have to admit that I planned all along for Keonhee (and Jangjun) to get attacked. I'm sure at least some of you maybe expected it to happen.
> 
> Next chapter: October 09th / 10th
> 
> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.   
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a good thing they erected a barrier, because the chaos they were creating was sure to attract Non – Hiddens and get them discovered. Scorch marks were everywhere, part of the street had been blown out, a couple of fires had started, but had been just as quickly controlled.  
> Leedo was quivering from excitement: he was in the group that was about to start the next round of attacks and he couldn't wait to make the asshole (who was showing signs of being a bit too stubborn to kill) bleed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late, oopsie! Sorry, but I was involved in a project and also had a costant headache for almost three days straight, which made writing completely impossible.  
> Still, I apologize for updating later than planned.  
> The story is almost done! Woohoo!! This really went into a direction I wasn't expecting, but I guess it happens with writing, right?
> 
> Anyway, this chapter contains: Leedo's trying to deal with the situation, hospital meetings, Nymphs might be the reason "tentacle porn" exists, getting revenge against the villain, and...  
> WARNING: description of a fight and death.

"You need to eat."

"I'm fine."

"No, you are not fine. Nobody really is anymore..."

"..."

"Geonhak, please, go feed. They can give you something even here at the Clinic."

"I'm fine, hyung."

Youngjo sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. It had been almost a week since he got a phone call from a panicking Leedo who told him the news about Keonhee's attack. He immediately went to the Clinic, the hospital for the Community of Hiddens, where he found Leedo standing completely frozen at the foot of the bed where Keonhee was resting. When he tried to ask about what happened, only Hongjoong, the Faerie Guardian, was able to give him a reply.

Leedo could barely speak. From the moment he got the news that night at the Council's meeting he felt his whole world had stopped. Hongjoong had Ported both of them at the Clinic where they met Yeosang, a Nymph and Hongjoong's Mate, who explained the situation to them. As soon as it was possible, Leedo was led into the room where Keonhee was resting: his friend, the person he had started to develop feelings for, the one he wanted to be his Donor for the rest of his existence, was lying in bed, completely still except for the continuous rise and fall of his chest, the only sign he was still alive.

Keonhee didn't look good at all: he clearly had several bruises all over his body, cuts and scratches over his face and, as he'd been told, his chest. Even his hair, always such a brilliant shade of blue, was closer to dark grey, which made his pale complexion stand out even more. From what Yeosang and Seonghwa, the doctor who was in charge of Keonhee's health, told him, he hadn't been tortured as much as the other Faerie, but the intensity of the attack had still been strong enough that Keonhee was currently in a medical induced coma and would remain like this for a few days.

"It's for his best" Seonghwa had said when he stopped for a visit the morning after. "This way his body has time to heal and recharge and it can let the magic used to save him spread all around his core."

Leedo had barely felt like himself since that night. If it was up to him, he would have stayed there the whole time, at Keonhee's side. He regularly went home only because everybody else had insisted, even if he almost fought with the others when they first tried to suggest it.

"I promised I would protect him! _I promised_ , hyung!" he screamed at Youngjo the second night he had been there, when his Sire tried to convice him to leave, even for a few hours. "I was supposed to go and meet him, but I went to the meeting and he was attacked. I should have been with him. _I promised_. But I wasn't there. I wasn't and look what happened!"

"Maybe there would be the two of you lying on these beds instead of just him" Youngjo counter pointed. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"Hyung, I−"

"No. _Enough_. You are going home. And that's _final_."

"You might be my Sire, but you don't have control over my life."

"You're right, I don't. But I care about you and spending all the time standing here in this room, watching Keonhee lying in this condition, is not gonna do you any good. So you are going home or I'm gonna talk with Seonghwa-hyung and he could ban you from visiting."

As soon as the words were said, Leedo grabbed Youngjo and slammed him against the wall.

" _Don't you fucking dare to keep me away from him_ " Leedo hissed.

"Do you honestly think Keonhee would want this? You watching over him like a hawk the whole time without taking care of yourself?" Youngjo growled at him, even if he made no move to push Leedo away from him. "No, he wouldn't. So, please... Think about him... Don't do this..." his hyung added with a soft voice.

He sighed, knowing the other was right, even if he wasn't very happy about it. They reached a compromise: Leedo wasn't allowed to spend more than ten hours in the room each day and he could spend that time to keep vigil over night until the morning, which allowed him to talk with the doctor when he stopped by for the daily visit.

Having so much free time, however, wasn't doing him any good either. He would go home for a shower and a change of clothes, then he'd go out again, prowling around the city, looking for signs of the Dark Mage everywhere. He would also regularly check with the rest of his team, who was now involved in the preparation for the casting of the spell that would, hopefully, help with the discovery of the bastard who dared to hurt his precious person.

At this point, feeding wasn't a priority for him, especially because, in the last few months, he only fed from Keonhee and he wasn't sure if he could actually stomach the taste of someone's else blood.

Which leads us back to the beginning, with an exasperated Youngjo trying to convince him to finally get some "food".

"What are you gonna do? Wait until Keonhee wakes up? Even if he does so right now, his condition wouldn't allow him to donate any blood. Then what? How much longer are you gonna wait, hm?"

"Hyung, you were the one who taught me Vampires don't need to feed every day nor every week. We could go on for months without a drip of blood or any other food."

"That's true, but it's regular feeding that makes us stronger and you are involved in a big hunt. I know that, when they finally find the bastard who did this, you are gonna try and get with the group who's gonna smash the hammer of justice over his head" Youngjo said. "There's definitely gonna be a fight, but you're gonna be useless because you haven't fed so you won't get to have your revenge. Is that what you want?"

Leedo sighed deeply and shook his head. His Sire was right: he needed to be at the top of his condition if he wanted to be allowed to take down the guy. He already told Hongjoong and Sungyoon about it and he was sure the other two were going to be there as well, both in their roles as Guardians, but also because people close to them had been among those who had been attacked.

' _There's gonna be a lot of us who'll want to get a few kicks against the fucker._ '

"You are right" Leedo said after a few minutes.

Youngjo smiled, pleased that he finally agreed.

"Shall I ask the nurse if they can spare some blood?" his Sire asked, standing up and going towards the door.

"Yeah... Let me know if they can't or I'll have to go out for a quick hunt" Leedo replied. "And don't spend too much time flirting with the guy."

"I don't know what you are talking about" Youngjo smirked, before leaving the room.

Leedo rolled his eyes and took advantage of the situation by sitting down on the bed next to Keonhee. He reached over to gently comb his hair and caress his cheek.

"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep my promise."

He moved his free hand to softly grab one of Keonhee's own: the Faerie was only slightly warm, a sharp contrast to his usual body temperature. His touch probably wouldn't help, but Leedo felt the need to be as close to him as possible.

"I know what you'd say if you were awake, that it's not my fault, that you are not mad at me and I shouldn't feel guilty about it" he continued. "But I can't help it. You are _precious_ to me, Keonhee. So very special. I spent decades living or just barely existing and I didn't know I needed someone like you until you came into my life. I can't... I can't lose you... So please, get better soon... _Please_..." he said, leaning down to place a small kiss over Keonhee's forehead.

He had resumed petting the other's hair when his Sire came back and he wasn't alone.

"How is he?" the nurse, a guy named Hwanwoong, asked, handing him a bag filled with blood.

"Same as usual" he replied, nodding in thanks while grabbing it. He saw Hwanwoong place himself on the other side of Keonhee's bed, checking his vitals before grabbing the Faerie's free hand.

Leedo had met him the night of the attack and was surprised to find out he was also a friend of Keonhee. The guy had been distraught by what happened, especially because he had already lost a friend during one of the Dark Mage's attacks. Leedo didn't know much about him, but Hwanwoong didn't seem to mind if he spent more than the agreed ten hours with Keonhee and even told him, whenever he could spare some time to come and visit their common friend, some stories of when they were both younger.

"I'm sure he'll get better soon" Hwanwoong said, smiling slightly, even if Leedo could clearly see the worry in his eyes and knew he probably looked the same.

The nurse moved to leave but, just as he was about to, turned around and pointed at him.

"Once you're done feeding, just leave the empty bag on the side table. I'll take care of it when I stop by for my rounds later. And make sure to take _this guy_ away with you when you leave" he said, pointing at his Sire, who just smirked and waved lazyly. Hwanwoong just rolled his eyes and left, muttering about «flirting, dirty, old Vampires», which made Youngjo frown and whine like a puppy.

"Drop it" Leedo said.

"Did you hear that? I'm not «dirty» or «old»" Youngjo replied. "I'm a dashing young man, who takes good care of his health and looks. Why doesn't he like me?"

"... Hyung, you are over two hundred years old. You _are_ old. Deal with it" Leedo said. "And he probably isn't in the mood to flirt with anybody when one of his closer friends is stuck in a hospital room in this condition."

Youngjo sighed and nodded sadly, making Leedo roll his eyes, before he focused on the bag in his hands.

"Well?"

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna stare at it the whole night?"

"No, no."

"Sure about that? 'Cause you've been looking at it for the past ten minutes."

"I'm gonna do it, just give me a sec."

"Why? Just feed already!"

"Oh my God, hyung, leave me the fuck alone for a moment, will you? I promised I'm gonna feed, okay? I will."

"..."

"..."

"... Is it because it's not Keonhee's right?"

"..."

" _Geonhak_..."

"I just... I feel like I'm almost... betraying him if I do it..."

"Geonhak, you−"

"No, I know I have to feed. I _know_ " Leedo replied. "I just need a moment to accept it..."

Youngjo sighed and nodded.

"I'll leave you alone, then. So you can take your time. But do it, okay?" Youngjo said moving towards the door. "You need it to fight for him, remember."

It was only after he nodded that Youngjo did the same and then quietly left the room.

Leedo sighed, looking at the bag of blood in his hand and at Keonhee.

' _I don't like it, but I have to. For him._ '

As soon as he bit it and started feeding, he felt his body react to it. His Sire was right: they might not need to constantly eat, but doing it so made them stronger and he was already feeling better.

' _But it's not the same_ ' he thought after he finished the whole bag. ' _Keonhee's makes me feel like I'm on top of the world... But maybe that's not just because he is a Faerie... Maybe it's because it's him... And what I feel for him..._ '

Leedo placed the empty bag on the side table and then carefully moved to lay next to Keonhee.

' _Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me...I'll take care of you... And destroy the guy who did this to you... I swear..._ '

~

Leedo was sitting down at one of the table of the Clinic's cafeteria, still baffled by the situation. The guy next to him was sporting a similar expression on his face.

"Doctor's order?" he asked again.

Yeosang, sitting in front of the two of them, smiled and nodded.

"Yup! It's not healthy for you to spend so much time sitting there, you know" the Nymph replied.

"But we agreed−" Leedo started to complain before being interrupted

"I know" Yeosang said. "But no one said anything about taking a break once in a while. And you _need_ it."

"I'm not a regular human like this guy" Leedo said, pointing at the other. "I don't really need it."

"... I should be offended, but I don't feel like quarrelling with someone who could break my neck at light speed."

"... I wouldn't do that."

"That sounded _so sincere_..."

"Both of you _drop it_. Or do you want me to bring out the vines again?" Yeosang asked, the smile on his face looking a tad bit sinister, making them shake their heads vigorously.

"Nope, thank you. I don't think I'll look at some plants the same way ever again" Joochan, the only human at the table, said, a haunting expression on his face.

Leedo just nodded and shivered slightly. He had been in Keonhee's room, sitting by his bed, for only a couple of hours before the Nymph came in claiming he needed a break. When he started to complain, Yeosang said Seonghwa, the doctor, was actually worried this situation might not be too good for him and was enforcing a «break every couple of hours» policy. When he tried to refuse once again, he felt vines wrap around his limbs and lift him up.

"This is not a request" Yeosang had said, his smile looking a bit too wide.

Leedo was too shocked to do or say anything and was dragged out of the room towards the one in front of Keonhee's, where the other Faerie who had been attacked was resting in a similar condition.

"Come on, Joochan, you too need a break" Yeosang said, startling the guy who was sitting by the edge of the bed. From his smell, Leedo realized he was a regular human.

"I... what? What's happening?" Joochan asked standing up and looking weirded out by the whole situation.

"You need a break from your constant vigil. Doctor's order. Come, come."

"But I−"

"No buts. Follow me"

"Hyung, I don't think that's necessary. I−"

Leedo saw vines sprout out of nowhere from behind the human who shrieked slightly when he felt them wrap around his body to lift him up.

"And _I don't care_. You really don't have a choice, anyway."

"Yeosang-hyung, really, this is a bit extreme" Leedo tried to say and saw Joochan nodding.

"... If you both keep complaining, I'm gonna show you why some people got the inspiration to create what they call «tentacle porn»" Yeosang said, which made the Vampire and the human rapidly blanch and shook their heads.

"Good boys" Yeosang said, dragging them behind himself and bringing them to the cafeteria where they were currently sitting, a cup of tea in front of each of them.

"You were so nice to me when we first met. I didn't know you could be like this" Joochan muttered while sipping his drink.

"I'm doing this for your own good" Yeosang replied. "I know you are both really worried about your precious people. I completely understand, believe me. But you can't focus only on that all the time."

"I don't" Joochan said. "I'm busy with practice, you know."

"And I have a hunt going on" Leedo replied.

"That doesn't really work in your favor, Mister" Yeosang said, pointing at him.

Leedo just shrugged and sipped his tea.

"What do you expect us to do, hm? Keep living as if everything is fine? Because _I can't_ " Joochan said, his eyes looking faintly red, as if he was trying to stop himself from crying.

"No, of course not" Yeosang said, reaching with his hands to gently grab the ones of the other. "But do you honestly think Jangjun would be happy to know you spend all your free time sitting besides his bed, worrying yourself to death over his condition?"

"What else can I do?" Joochan asked, a few tears falling down his face. "Every time I close my eyes I think about that day and remember that, if I had gotten there only ten minutes later, it would have been too late to save him and... I can't... _I can't_..." he started quietly sobbing, making Yeosang sit up and move around so he could sit beside him and hug him tightly.

Leedo was sitting perfectly still, awkward because of the situation, but also feeling dread and sympathy about what the other had gone through. He couldn't help but think ' _what if the person who found Keonhee had been too late?_ ' and he suddenly thanked the Heavens that he was already unable to sleep because that thought alone was enough to give him nightmares.

It took a few minutes to calm Joochan down and, when he did, Yeosang moved again to sit in front of them.

"The other reason why I wanted you to take a break is because there's something I have to tell you" the Nymph said, making the both of them focus on him.

"This evening they casted the first spiderweb" Yeosang said. "Hongjoong sent me a message about an hour ago: they already got some results."

Leedo felt his eyes widen at the words and he heard Joochan gasp from beside him.

"What did they found?" he asked, eager to hear news about it.

"They think they located the zone where his base or house is mostly like."

"This... this is great!" Leedo said, watching from the corner of his eyes that Joochan was rapidly nodding.

"Are they gonna get him soon?" the human asked.

"Not yet" Yeosang replied. "Even if they got the zone, it's still an area a bit too big."

"Now what?"

"They can't cast it again today, because it takes too much effort and energy and all the people involved need some rest" Yeosang explained. "But they'll probably do it again tomorrow. And again in a couple of days, trying to restrict the area as much as possible."

"Then?" Leedo asked, disappointed by the wait but excited at the prospect of getting to the end of the whole ordeal soon.

"Doing it a couple more times means they can possibly narrow it down to just a neighborhood. Once that's done, finding the base will be really easy" Yeosang replied. "Only once they are sure of its location, they'll contact those who are going to be involved to close the case."

"You are going, right?" Joochan asked Leedo.

"Yeah" he nodded. "I already said I wanna be there. I know the guy won't get down without a fight and I wanna take my revenge."

"Not just you" Yeosang added. "This Dark Mage made _a lot_ of people angry. The whole Community wants his head mounted on a pike."

"How are they gonna keep it from other humans?" Joochan asked.

"Not all the people involved will fight" the Nymph explained. "That's why the attack won't happen as soon as they find the place. The Mages, Warlocks and Demons involved in casting the spiderweb will also erect a series of barriers, both to keep humans unaware and keep him contained. They are going to rest and be fully charged before doing it, 'cause it requires a lot of power and energy."

Leedo saw Joochan nod, while he couldn't help but feel excited at the thought of finally getting his hands on the bastard that hurt his most precious treasure.

' _Soon_ '

~

"We got him."

Hongjoong's words managed to make everybody at the table choke on their drinks. Leedo was sitting at the cafeteria with Yeosang and Joochan for another «voluntary» break and they were in the middle of explaining to the human some of the history behind the Hidden Community when the Faerie Guardian showed up in a swirl of leaves.

"Wait already?" Leedo asked when he was able to talk again.

"It's been just two days since the teams casted the first spiderweb" Yeosang commented, offering a drink to his mate.

"I know" Hngjoong said, accepting the cup and nodding in thanks before sitting down on the table with them. "We decided to do something else as well and that definitely helped."

They all waited until he took a few sips of his tea before Yeosang gently prodded him to continue.

"We were sure that we could find the Dark Mage just by casting the spiderweb" he said. "But we also wanted to find him _faster_ before he could decide to go hurt someone else. And find a way to make him _weaker_."

When he didn't add anything else for a few moments, Yeosang actually kicked Hongjoong, making him yelp.

"Oi, give me a second!"

"If you didn't notice, we are all dying to know more about it" his mate replied. "Even Joochan looks like he's seconds from throttling you."

Leedo turned around and looked at the human sitting next to him, who blushed lightly at the words, but the expression on his face clearly showed that Yeosang had been right.

' _Understandable. If he doesn't start talking, I'm gonna kick him myself._ '

"The first time the spell was casted, we were already able to find the location where he was possibly hiding, but the overall area was too big to search" Hongjoong explained. "On the second night, before the teams casted the spell, the Council met up and we decided to do something more."

Hongjoong smirked in a way that was so similar to that of Yeosang when he had trapped them with his vines and Leedo couldn't help but shiver slightly at the sight (from the corner of his eyes he saw Joochan doing the same).

"So Jacob, the Demon Guardian, got in touch with the Other Side and delivered an ultimatum" Hongjoong said, making the rest of them lean at the edge of their seats in anticipation. "Whoever was helping the guy was indirecly violating our Rules so we could enforce a total block, meaning no Demons could cross the border and visit this Realm for as long as the Dark Mage could access demonic powers. Until someone from the Other Side stopped the exchange of energy, the block would remain activated."

Now the smirk of the Faerie's face became a mix of gleeful and devilish and Leedo wondered if Non – Hids ever saw them like that, because it was very similar to how they described Faeries as creatures who'd love to mess around with humans.

"And would you look at that? In less than two hours we got a reply: no one was going to help this guy, or any future Dark Mage, ever again" Hongjoong said, smirking triumphantly.

"... So what does this mean?" Joochan asked.

"They cut his power in half, at least" Leedo replied, still shocked by the unexpected development.

"This means that, when they are going to fight him, because _there will be_ a fight, the chances for his survival are basically gone, while all the races he hurt will have their time making their displeasure known" Yeosang added, looking at his mate with hearts in his eyes. ' _Please, wait until we leave before you jump him... oh Heavens, I can see vines wiggling behind him..._ '

"That's right" Hongjoong replied, before turning towards Leedo. "I know you wanna be with Keonhee, but I suggest you get some rest. Tomorrow night _we are going to destroy him_."

Leedo felt a thrill of excitement at the prospect and grinned widely at the Faerie, his canine shining lightly and his eyes turning red.

"Oh, we'll make it a _bloodbath_."

~

Leedo was sitting next to Keonhee on his bed, gently holding his hand.

"I won't be able to stay with you tonight" he said. "They found the guy who hurt both of us and I'm gonna be there to make him pay for it."

Keonhee was unresponsive as always, only the regular rise and fall of his chest showed he was still alive. It was a painful sight for Leedo: the Faerie has always looked so full of life and energy, but now...

"I'm gonna make him _bleed_ " he whispered, feeling his anger get stronger. "I'm gonna make him regret for ever _daring_ to _touch_ you."

Leedo spent a few more minutes simply admiring the other: no matter his bruises or the lack of his usual spark, Keonhee still looked breathtaking to him. He leaned down to place a tender kiss on the other's forehead and gave one last gentle squeeze at the hand he was holding, before he stood up and left the room.

Three people were waiting there for him.

"I'm not a person who condones violence" Joochan said, "but this guy deserves all the pain you are going to make him go through." The only human in the group turned to look at Jangjun, covered in bandages and lying on a bed, clenching his fist at the sight. "Make him _suffer_."

Leedo nodded, gently patting Joochan's shoulder. When he looked at Hwanwoong, the nurse's eyes were faintly red but his gaze was strong and cold. They didn't talk, but Leedo completely understood what the other wanted to convey.

"It's time" Youngjo said. His Sire was going to be there as well, even if he wouldn't actively participate in the fight. "I'll be a back-up and help pick out people if they get hurt" his hyung had told him earlier.

Leedo nodded and moved to follow his Sire.

' _I couldn't protect Keonhee as I wanted_ ' he thought racing with the other along the streets of Seoul to get to the meeting point. ' _But sure as hell I'm gonna get revenge for the both of us._ '

~

It was a good thing they erected a barrier, because the chaos they were creating was sure to attract Non – Hiddens and get them discovered. Scorch marks were everywhere, part of the street had been blown out, a couple of fires had started, but had been just as quickly controlled.

Leedo was quivering from excitement: he was in the group that was about to start the next round of attacks and he couldn't wait to make the asshole (who was showing signs of being a bit too stubborn to kill) bleed out.

"We're all taking turns" Hongjoong had said when they arrived at the location, a place on the West side of the city and luckily not very close to other residences. "Even if we cut his power a bit, no one knows how long it's going to take to finish him."

"So?"

"So we made groups, with at least one of each race involved in the attack, so everybody gets a shot at having their revenge. There's also less of a risk of getting too many people accidentally attacking each other instead of him. You're in the second to last group, by the way."

"What if somebody gets to kill him?" Leedo asked, not entirely pleased by the possibility of missing his chance at hurting the Dark Mage.

"Then so be it" Hongjoong replied. "Most of us are here seeking personal satisfaction, but don't forget the most important goal is to get rid of this bastard so nobody else will get hurt in the future."

Leedo nodded, even if it was hard to accept it. ' _Part of me wants to see him dead as soon as possible... Another, bigger, part wants me to be the one to deliver the finishing blow..._ '

He was soon led to a group of people who made up the rest of his attack team and waited.

Only a few minutes later he actually saw the containment barrier go up, creating some sort of shining dome above the whole area around them. A couple of seconds later a blue flag was raised by one of the Council members who was standing on a wall nearby.

It was the signal to start the attacks.

Leedo heard a big roar after someone threw a spell against the building the Dark Mage was hiding into, making the barrier protecting it partially crash. After that, it was a flurry of movements. Waves after waves of attacks kept going on and, while the Dark Mage was defending himself quite well, he soon started to show signs of getting weaker.

Leedo moved with his group and, as soon as the signal was given, he quickly sped up towards his target. He was really pleased when he managed to deliver quite a few blows on the guy, even digging his sharp nails in his arms and dislocating a shoulder, making the Dark Mage cry in pain and unable to defend himself from the strong punch a Werewolf threw at him.

Leedo knew he only had a few more seconds to continue his attack before the last group entered the battle, so he did all he could, punching, scratching, even sinking his teeth for a few moments on the guy's back and ripping part of the skin off.

When he heard a bell, the sign of retreat, Leedo moved back reluctantly, but also partially satisfied for how much damage he inflicted to the guy. He went to stand besides his Sire, who was watching the fight from a nearby wall. It was almost the end: all the people involved had managed to bring the Dark Mage to his knees and the last group of attackers was most likely to be the one to end him.

Especially because, among them, were Hongjoong and Sungyoon, as well as the Nymph and Mage Guardians, who both had lost people during the guy's attacks. They really showed him no mercy; and honestly, he didn't deserve it.

A final combo attack saw the Dark Mage getting beheaded and silence fell on the area for a few moments. Even Leedo stood perfectly still. When it was clear that the guy had been completely and utterly killed, cheering and joyous screams came from almost everybody there.

Youngjo turned Leedo around, smiling widely at him and pulling him into a side hug.

"It's over" his Sire said, squeezing him. "It's really over, Geonhak-ie."

Leedo sighed and couldn't stop the smile spreading on his face.

"It is."

When Leedo reached the Clinic almost thirty minutes later, the news of the Dark Mage's demise had already spread and even there everybody was cheering and smiling excitedly.

"You did it!" Hwanwoong said when he saw him.

"It wasn't me" Leedo replied. "I did my part, but the Guardians finished him."

"From what I've heard, all the attackers did most of the job at crippling him." Joochan said when he arrived in front of Keonhee's room. "So it was also thanks to you."

Leedo shrugged, embarassed by the praise, but also secretly pleased at having had a hand in the victory against the enemy. He quietly bid the others goodnight, before slipping into the Faerie's room.

Keonhee was lying like always and a part of him was disappointed at the lack of change in his condition. He honestly hoped that the other would wake up once the Dark Mage was killed.

' _All I can do now is wait_ ' he thought, taking his customary place on the chair beside the bed.

~

Morning had come and soon the doctor would show up for the daily check up. Leedo planned to ask for the usual updates, before going home to get showered and changed and maybe finally spend a few hours to relax. ' _I still can't believe it's over._ '

"Ah, good morning, Leedo-ssi."

"Morning Seonghwa-hyung" he stood up and greeted the doctor who quickly started checking Keonhee's condition.

"Congratulations for last night" the other said.

"Ah, thank you" he replied, even if he still felt embarassed about being thanked for it. "But it wasn't just me."

"I know, I know, but you helped" Seonghwa said, turning to smile at him. "I'm a doctor and I probably shouldn't say this, but you made a great service to the Community by getting rid of that guy. So _thank_ you."

Leedo avoided his gaze, glad that his face couldn't show how embarassed he was.

And it was then that he noticed Keonhee's hand had moved just slightly.

"Hyung" he whispered, eyes blown wide and pointing at the Faerie. "Hyung he..."

Seongwa quickly turned around, checking Keonhee for any sign of change. They both stood completely still and silent, watching how the Faerie's body slowly started to lightly twitch. Even a few strands of his hair were turning from dark grey to a lighter shade of blue.

It took quite a few minutes, before they saw Keonhee slowly opening his eyes and checking his surroundings. When they landed on him, Leedo saw the Faerie's eyes getting wider.

"H-Hyu... hyung..." Keonhee whispered.

Leedo realize he was trembling when he slowly reached over to grab one of Keonhee's hands.

"Hey... You are safe now... Everything will be fine..." he said, moving to sit on the bed and cupping the Faerie's cheek.

"Hyung..." Keonhee said again, his voice scratchy from disuse.

"It's okay, Keonhee, hyung's here" he said, moving to rest his forehead againt the other's. "It's over. The guy's gone. It's over, Keonhee. _It's over_."

Leedo saw a few tears fall down from the other's eyes and gently wiped them away.

"Everything will be fine. I'll take care of you, okay?"

"Promise?" Keonhee asked, eyes shining with tears but a small smile spreading on his face.

"I promise" Leedo answered, smiling back.

' _I'll take care of you for the rest of my life. And I'll do anything to keep this promise_.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keonhee is finally awake and the Dark Mage is dead *applause*  
> There's only one last update left for this story, even if I won't say goodbye to the characters; as I said before, this is part of a multi-fandom fic. There'll be a story with Jangjun/Joochan's side and also another one that I won't spoil.
> 
> Last chapter: October 20th
> 
> As always,  
> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE - PLEASE READ! Story is not dead

Hello!

First of all I want to apologize for not updating in so long.

I have been VERY sick for a while (stuck in bed with excruciating back pain for over a month) and then I had to take time to get myself back together.

This brought changes to my financial and living situations so sorting that out took priority for me.

And when I was finally ready to get back into writing, my laptop crashed and I lost a good chunk of my stuff.

I cried. For hours.

Anyway, I wanted to update those of you who are still interested into this story that I'M NOT GIVING UP!

I promise I'll get back to it very soon, considering I only have the last chapter left (and maybe an epilogue? not sure about that).

Thanks for your understanding! See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Positive reviews are welcome.  
> Constructive criticism is appreciated.  
> Needless hate can be left outside the door.


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